A dream is a wish your heart makes...

I am back in San Diego after three wonderful days in Anaheim with my children and grandchildren. My life-long dream of Disneyland is now finally a reality and a memory, and it was worth the 50 year wait. Kelly and I spent a day getting the apartment ready for company. I had ordered booster seats, a stroller, air mattresses and an air pump, and we set up the bedrooms. Kelly graciously moved into the office (twin sized air mattress) so that Jake's family could have the guest room. (King size bed, queen size air mattress and STILL plenty of room to move around- amazing!) Jake, Becca and the kids arrived in good order Friday evening. Dave and Kel went to pick them up and I made tacos. We had a great visit. Saturday we did the mall crawl. Becca and I decimated the scrapbooking shelves at Michael's, and we had lunch at the Fashion Valley Mall. J, B and the kids took a short dip in the pool- WAY too cold- and then warmed up in the hot tub before heading for home. Sunday morning we hit the San Diego Zoo, which is incredible. Kelly had an afternoon matinee, so naps and packing were on the agenda. We caught the Amtrak to Anaheim- nice ride- and three cabs to Disneyland. Until the very last stage of the trip, none of the kids knew where we were going, but as we left the station, there was a huge sign advertising Disneyland, and Kendall tumbled to it. Dave and I made plans to keep her sequestered from the rest of the kids until it dawned on all of us that telling the cabbie to take us to the Disneyland Hotel would be a bit of a give-away, so we told them at the station where we were going. The response was gratifying. We had two adjoining rooms, and had a room service dinner. We hit the park right after breakfast on Monday and spent 9 hours in the Magic Kingdom, which is beautiful beyond description. Several times during the day, I teared up with the sheer joy of being there. The kids hit all the rides, the waits were not too bad, the weather was perfect, and Emily, the world's most mellow and fantastic baby, was a joyous trouper. She rode the teacup ride with Becca and I and had her picture made with Ariel. The kids had autograph books and got the autographs of lots of characters, and we all got into trading pins- even Jake and Dave. Tuesday we spent at California Adventure and Dave and I kind of sat the day out, watching Emily so Jake would have a chance to have some fun. We are neither of us too keen on rides, and the Paradise Pier is chock-a-block with them. We had lunch at a neat cafe, and the kids got happily drenched at Bug Land. Tired but happy, and laden with souvenirs, we Amtraked back to San Diego that evening. Wednesday, Becca did laundry, and Jake packed the three boxes of stuff I shipped home to them- okay, so we were a little extreme with the souvenirs and toys- and we put them safely on a plane home at about noon. You couldn't have asked for a better vacation. Everyone got along so well and was so mellow; there was no fighting or bickering or impatience or pouting, all seemed to have a fun time, and to enjoy the first en masse family activity we have ever had short of birthday parties. It was a most wonderful vacation, and a dream come true.